Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Hands-On Preview – A Very Capcom Take on Tower Defense

After putting out amazing new entries of their flourishing beloved franchises and resurrecting old ones with modern sensibilities, Capcom is venturing into something new and awe-inspiring – Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, their upcoming action-strategy title that places its Japanese folklore inspiration at its forefront.

Looks may be deceiving because, from trailers alone, one may think this is another hack-and-slash game. After all, Capcom is known and loved for its action titles, from the stylish slashing, dicing, and posing Devil May Cry series to the methodical weighty monster dunking of Monster Hunter. But Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is more than just samurai swordplay because it is also a tower defense title where preparation plays a big part in gameplay.

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This is exactly what makes Kunitsu-Gami such a standout, and we got to experience 2 hours and 6 stages of the title’s unexpectedly fresh and creative gameplay in a hands-on session. The Japanese folklore and tradition inspiration is a huge part of Kunitsu-Gami‘s identity, with elements of Kagura ritual dances, Yōkai-inspired evil manifestations, and purification through exorcism all twirl and blend into its gameplay.

In the game, you play as Soh, a katana-wielding masked shinobi-looking guardian who looks like some alternate design of TEKKEN‘s Yoshimitsu. Jokes aside, the art of the sword is not the only thing Soh does, because you will guide him to rally villagers of Mt. Kafuku to protect the Maiden Yoshiro, so she can safely purify the defilement that plagued the land.

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The gameplay of Kunitsu-Gami is split into day and night, or simply put, the preparation phase and the combat phase. During the day, you will go around purging defilements from villages and have villages join you in preparation for the battle after sundown. At night, you will then order villagers to position themselves together with you as you swing your sword around to protect Yoshiro from the sieging horde of Seethe – evil spirits manifested from the ominous black substance that defiled the once-resplendent Mt. Kafuku.

Rally on the Day

To start, the game has a semi-isometric camera with characters slightly zoomed out. As the stage starts at day time, you are in the preparation phase where you explore the map with many different objectives you could do that contribute to the rampage to come nighttime. For example, you can purge defilements to earn crystals, save villagers in need, or purify wild animals to gather rations that can be used to recover health.

In every stage, once all of the defilements are purged, the wayshrines will be opened and you will receive a Tsuba Guard or a Mazo Talisman – the former granting active skill that you could utilize to buff villagers, protect them, or simply another offensive option, while the latter act as passive effects for Soh or the villages, like boosting their health or attack damage. There is a limited amount of slots you could equip the aforementioned gears, with only 1 Tsuba Guard and 2 Mazo Talismans in the early games, but in later games, we can unlock up to 3 Tsuba Guards and 5 Mazo Talismans. They are not easy to obtain, of course, as some of the defilements can be very hidden on the map.

Certain places on the map will also be blocked off and require assistance from villagers to solve and unlock them. Of course, they will only be available during the day as when night comes, the villagers will all go back to their battle positions. Speaking of battle positions, you can assign roles to the villagers before placing them in your desired positions so they can fend off the Seethe.

Where exactly to place the villagers? Well, Yoshiro will have a path to take as she purifies the land until she reaches the gate, called Carve Spirit Path. As Soh, you will purify and clean a path for Yoshiro, so we have to decide where she is going to protect her. You can either continue preparing or fast forward time as we wait for Yoshiro to walk. Note that some enemies will spawn from other trails, so it’s best to prepare in ways that cover all sides.

Another way to strengthen defense is through contraptions, which are broken defense buildings on different paths that we can request fixing. These would then, for example, become barricades for blocking enemies, taiko drums that can stun enemies, or perhaps bolstering rings that increase the attack power and movement speed of allies in certain areas. There is a lot to do during your preparation while time is of the essence, so it is best to not waste precious time and prepare as much as possible by sundown.

Defense by the Night

Once you clean a path for Yoshiro, she will start to move to the target gate while dancing. As mentioned, all preparation work is done in the daytime, while the Seethe came rampaging from the defiled Torii gates at night. Some stages would not only have one Torii gate that Yoshiro has to purify, but multiple. As waves of enemies come, you would have to improvise, commanding villagers strategically, change up their positions and tactics, and run around samurai-style as Soh. You would need to cover the path where Yoshiro takes and ensure she gets the most protection, clearing out any pesky Seethe that crawling toward her. The enemies are varied – from ranged foes, flying monstrosities, and elite Seethe that require strategies to defeat.

We can’t go full offense and station everyone at the gate either because when the Seethe spawns, they are invulnerable for 5 seconds. Not to mention, the defiled Torii gate emits a caustic aura, damaging Soh or any villagers that are too close.

Once Yoshiro makes it to the gate, you will begin purification and recovering some health. During the purification process, villagers and wild animals would come over to join the dance – quite a funny sight for the first time.

Soh and the Villagers

Soh, the main character of the game is the protector of Yoshiro, but aside from him being a swordsman, we are not sure if he would unlock different classes or not. In terms of fighting style, Soh attacks like he’s in a dance, gracefully swinging his katana. Not to the depth of the likes of Devil May Cry, Soh does have special combo chains depending on the sequence of buttons pressed. Besides his trusty katana, Soh also has a bow, allowing him to battle from a distance. While not a full-on action hack-and-slash, the game does have perfect parry and dodge mechanics, surprisingly.

As for villagers, they can assume a total of 7 roles, such as Woodcutter, Sumo Wrestler, Spearman, and Archer, as the offensive ones, while Shaman and Ascetic are the supports. Some roles are gender-specific, such as Ascetic being exclusive for female villagers while only males can take on the role of a Sumo Wrestler. Roles can be changed around so long as it’s daytime.

Base of Operation

Once we clear the first stage, a small village will be unlocked for us as a player hub. Here, you can walk in peace, build new structures, and even pet an adorable Shiba Inu! This village essentially serves as a base of operation, allowing you to upgrade villagers, save games, and equip or change the Tsuba Guards or Mazo Talisman. While not much information has been provided regarding the new buildings yet, it seems that Capcom is attempting to simulate some form of village management and honestly, we are all for it.

Path of the Goddess, Path of Greatness

All in all, Kunitsumi-Gami: Path of the Goddess is one of the freshest new ideas for a AAA title in recent years and Capcom has given the tower defense genre a fun twist in the most Capcom way possible – by giving it a spice of hack-and-slash action. It has that Capcom stylish action DNA in it, allowing players to go samurai slashing with Soh as he flips around and jumps over walls in the most acrobatic way possible, while at the same time not reducing the importance of villagers as your “tower” in a tower defense game.

It’s not just the premise being fresh, even some stages were impressively creative with elements that change up how you approach clearing them. There is one where you battle on a boat where you try to avoid it sinking, while some are engulfed in darkness, forcing players to rely on villagers lighting up lanterns or battle in the dark.

As I highlighted, Capcom is just great when it comes to delivering impactful, satisfying, and extremely “anime” action games. Kunitsumi-Gami: Path of the Goddess looks like a promising one that would attract hack-and-slash fans who are seeking something new, while at the same time, opening a gate for strategy players to dive into the Capcom action.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is set to launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam, as well as Xbox Game Pass, on July 19, 2024.